A huge number of video game systems have been proposed. These systems include, for example, systems comprised of a special device for home use and a television monitor and systems comprised of a special device for business use, a personal computer or a workstation, a display and a sound output device. Any one of these systems includes a controller used by a game player for operation, a storage medium storing game program data, a CPU for executing controls to generate images and sounds based on the game program data, a processor for generating images, a processor for generating sounds, a CRT or like monitor for displaying images, and a loudspeaker for outputting sounds. CD-ROMs, semiconductor memories, cassette-type storage mediums having a built-in semiconductor memory are frequently used as the above storage medium.
In such video game systems, various competition games such as soccer and baseball games and various running races such as short-distance races and long-distance races which are played outdoors, and gymnastic completions such as the vaulting horse and the horizontal bar and various other competitions made indoors can be executed in the game space. In event places such as stadiums and gymnasiums where competitions are actually made, announcements are suitably given concerning contents of competitions while the competitions proceed. Thus, if announcing sounds are outputted as background sounds in the video game system as well, enthusiasm can be put into game contents and a better feeling of being present at the competition can be given. Further, actual announcing sounds at the event place are frequently accompanied by echoes (echoing sounds). Therefore, an even better feeling of presence can be given by applying echoing to the announcing sounds if necessary.
If the event place differs, actual echoes differ in delay and volume because surrounding echoing conditions differ. However, in the case that the announcing sounds include echoes in the video game, they only contain the same echoes having specified delay and volume even if the event place differs. Accordingly, if a plurality of game programs are stored in a cassette-type storage medium and the event place differs from game to game or events are held in a plurality of event places even in the same game, the feeling of presence may lack if the delay and volume of the echoes are same at the respective places of event.
Such a problem may be solved by separately storing background sound data including echoes corresponding to event places. This, however, necessitates a large-capacity memory and a time longer than necessary for the development of programs, thereby presenting another problem of becoming a large factor of increased production costs for the game system.
In view of the above situation, an object of the present invention is to provide a video game device which can execute a game having a better feeling of presence and effectively suppress an increase in production costs, a background sound output method in a video game and a readable storage medium storing a background sound output program.